Services for Families of Prison Inmates
February 2002
Special Issues in Corrections - Read Full Report - Including the DOC Contacts on Services for Families of Inmates and corresponding forms to use to gain benefits
A variety of studies have found that increased contact between inmates and their families can contribute to an inmates re-integration into the community after release. Successful re-integration, in turn, is an indicator of reduced risk of re-offense. Institutional programming and visitation can encourage healthier family relationships, further developing a critical element in the offenders post-release support system.
For inmates who have children under the age of 18, family programs and services can also address the forces underlying an inter-generational cycle of crime. As stated in a recent National Institute of Corrections (NIC) cooperative agreement solicitation, Parental arrest and confinement lead to stress, trauma, stigmatization and separation problems for the children. These problems are coupled with existing problems that include poverty, violence, parental substance abuse, high crime environments, intra-family abuse, abuse and neglect, multiple care givers and/or prior separations. As a result, these children often exhibit a broad variety of behavioral, emotional, health, and educational problems that are compounded by the
pain of separation.
Children subjected to these forces are at a significantly higher risk for criminal behavior. As noted in Senate Report 106-404 from the FY2001 Department of Justice appropriations bill, . . . children of prisoners are six times more likely than other children to be incarcerated at some point in their lives.
The challenges facing corrections agencies are reflected in the findings of an August 2000 Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, Incarcerated Parents and Their Children...
Special Issues in Corrections - Read Full Report - Including the DOC Contacts on Services for Families of Inmates and corresponding forms to use to gain benefits
A variety of studies have found that increased contact between inmates and their families can contribute to an inmates re-integration into the community after release. Successful re-integration, in turn, is an indicator of reduced risk of re-offense. Institutional programming and visitation can encourage healthier family relationships, further developing a critical element in the offenders post-release support system.
For inmates who have children under the age of 18, family programs and services can also address the forces underlying an inter-generational cycle of crime. As stated in a recent National Institute of Corrections (NIC) cooperative agreement solicitation, Parental arrest and confinement lead to stress, trauma, stigmatization and separation problems for the children. These problems are coupled with existing problems that include poverty, violence, parental substance abuse, high crime environments, intra-family abuse, abuse and neglect, multiple care givers and/or prior separations. As a result, these children often exhibit a broad variety of behavioral, emotional, health, and educational problems that are compounded by the
pain of separation.
Children subjected to these forces are at a significantly higher risk for criminal behavior. As noted in Senate Report 106-404 from the FY2001 Department of Justice appropriations bill, . . . children of prisoners are six times more likely than other children to be incarcerated at some point in their lives.
The challenges facing corrections agencies are reflected in the findings of an August 2000 Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, Incarcerated Parents and Their Children...